The Mid-Isle Highlanders FC women’s reserve team may be the new kids on the turf, but that hasn’t stopped them from turfing the competition.
With only one loss in the regular season, the team is sitting at the top of the crop as the Pacific Coast Soccer League Challenge Cup approaches July 28-29 in Chilliwack.
“They’ve been playing really nice soccer,” said James Merriman, Mid-Isle Highlanders FC manager.
The fledgling team is a good mix of about 15 to 20 seasoned university players and talented high school players from across central Vancouver Island, including Ladysmith and Cowichan.
“You’ve got young players that are just getting into the higher-level soccer and then they’ve got a good group of girls that are training for the VIU season,” Merriman said. “They’ve come together really well.”
The Mid-Isle Highlanders’ men’s reserve team currently sits in fourth place in the PCSL and needs to win its final matches to make it into the playoffs.
“They’ve had a great season as well; the men’s league is extremely competitive, and there’s not just one team that’s taken off,” Merriman said.
He added that the mid-Island is very well represented in the province by both the women and men’s reserve, and he encouraged soccer fans of all ages to come catch a game before the season ends.
Both teams play two more games before the regular season ends. The men face off against Kamloops at the Nanaimo turf July 15 while the women take on West Van at the Nanaimo turf July 21.
For more details, visit the Highlanders' website.